Teach Me the Class
Reverse-engineer how your behavior creates the outcome you complain about
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 98%
Teach Me the Class is Diana Chapman's practical prompt for radical responsibility. Start with the exact result being blamed on someone else, then imagine teaching another person how to reliably create that unwanted result. List the behaviors, omissions, assumptions, and repeated choices the student would need to copy. The exercise changes the question from ‘Why are they doing this to me?’ to ‘How am I participating in this outcome?’ Because the list is behavioral, it exposes specific leverage rather than demanding vague self-blame. In the episode, a leader who complained that his CEO did not provide enough feedback discovered that he valued the CEO's time over his own, accepted broken one-on-ones without rescheduling, and failed to request the feedback directly. Recognizing those choices let him see himself as a creator of the pattern and identify actions he could change.
Origin
Extracted from The Tim Ferriss Show. Diana Chapman demonstrated the prompt with a coaching client who complained that his CEO was not giving him enough feedback.
Core principles
- 01A complaint can conceal a result you are helping create
- 02Specific behavior reveals leverage that blame hides
- 03Owning your contribution restores agency
- 04Responsibility is not the same as claiming sole fault
How to run it
- 1
Name the complaint
Write the unwanted result in concrete terms and identify the person or circumstance you currently see as its cause.
- 2
Teach its creation
Imagine teaching a class called ‘How to Create This Result.’ List the exact instructions a student would follow.
Pro tip Include what the student avoids asking for, tolerates, postpones, or values more highly.
Watch out Do not answer with personality labels; use observable choices.
- 3
Find your instructions
Mark the listed behaviors you currently perform and explain how each helps sustain the result.
Pro tip Humor or surprise can signal that previously hidden agency has become visible.
Watch out Owning a contribution does not mean claiming every cause.
- 4
Reverse the pattern
Choose one instruction to stop following and replace it with a direct action that could create a different result.
Pro tip Begin with the behavior under your immediate control.
In the wild
A leader said his CEO was not giving him feedback needed for growth. Asked to teach the class on creating that outcome, he listed valuing the CEO's time more than his own, not rescheduling broken one-on-ones, and not directly requesting the feedback he wanted.
→ He recognized his contribution and moved from helpless complaint toward actionable responsibility.
Common mistakes
Turning responsibility into self-blame
The method seeks your contribution and available leverage, not a declaration that the entire outcome is your fault.
Listing abstract defects
Labels such as weak or passive do not reveal a changeable mechanism. List concrete actions and omissions instead.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for leaders and team members who feel stuck waiting for someone else to provide what they need.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when used to erase power differences, misconduct, or responsibilities that genuinely belong to another party.
From the transcript
“I said, "Teach me the class."”
“Well, value the CEO's time than your time. Don't reschedule when the CEO breaks your one-on-one meetings. Don't ask directly for the feedback you want.”
“So people often we say the thing you're complaining about is often the thing you're committed to creating.”
From the episode
#536: Diana Chapman — How to Get Unstuck, Do “The Work,” Take Radical Responsibility, and Reduce Drama in Your Life
Diana Chapman